Adults set the standard. Adults are who teenagers look to and who they want to emulate when they get older. We may not realize it, but teenagers are looking to us for examples of how faith is supposed to be represented. So why are we not setting the examples very well?

I heard recently a group of teenage girls saying, “We would rather attend a deep Bible study than a social event.” When I heard this, it sparked a thought that I believe as youth ministers we struggle with all the time: How do we stay relevant to the ever-changing culture surrounding our teens? The answer...

Almost half the world's population today is under the age of 25. Estimates suggest that by the year 2025, there will be about 72 million more youth than there at the present. More than any other time in history, the question of how to communicate effectively and engage in cross-cultural youth ministry...

“When reflection is done (if at all), it’s often limited to conversations over poorly constructed questions or writing in a journal thrown together at the last minute.”

I have a foolproof plan on how to connect with every teen in our community ...

I’ve been a full-time youth pastor for almost five years. At times, discouragement is a hard enemy to battle. I’ve seen my share of youth group students drop out as they get older. I also have been disappointed by current and former students when I checked their Facebook pages.

The college age stage of life is a time of searching, forming an identity and all too often, confusion. The main thing needed for effective college ministry is a pool of dedicated volunteers who can spend time walking alongside young adults, teaching them and helping them live out what they already know.

Let’s face it—hanging out with middle school (I call it junior high!) students in the hopes of bringing them closer to Jesus takes serious guts. It is an energy-packed, patience-stretching, sometimes smelly, time-consuming, thankless, awkward and overlooked calling. We are clearly the only people on...

We cannot confuse biblical knowledge with spiritual maturity. Just because we or our students can quote, teach and argue the Bible does not mean we are transformed by it. Our faith must be felt, experienced and most importantly, valued. It is possible to act with concern and mercy and not be spiritually...

There are zillions of activities, games, curricula, resources and methods youth workers can use; but which are really the best? To find out, we asked nine youth ministry veterans to pick their “Best of the Best.”